Over 43,000 proclaimed offenders still at large, SHC told

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday directed the inspector general of police to take concrete steps to ensure arrest of over 43,000 proclaimed offenders who were involved in criminal cases in the province.

During a hearing of a petition pertaining to a request for extradition of former MQM incharge of Karachi Tanzeemi Committee Hammad Siddiqui in Baldia factory fire case, a division bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto inquired the IGP about compliance with its order for arresting over 50,058 proclaimed offenders (POs) in the province.

The court had directed the IGP and the prosecutor general to submit detailed reports on POs who were still at large and whether any of them had fled the country. The IPG filed a compliance report submitting that police had arrested 1,298 proclaimed offenders out of 50,058 while another 4,766 had either obtained bail or been struck off from the trial proceedings. He submitted that 43,994 POs were still at large.

Regarding a direction of the court to cancel the passports and national identity cards of the POs involved in criminal cases as well as freezing of their bank accounts, the IPG submitted that details of the POs had been sent to the ministry of interior and the National Database Registration Authority for the cancellation of their passports and identity cards.

A State Bank law officer said the SBP does not maintain database of bank accounts; however, it can forward letters to banks if ID cards of proclaimed offenders are provided.

The court directed the director general of NADRA to share details of POs along with identity cards with the home secretary, who shall communicate the same to the SBP so that a direction may be issued to freeze the bank accounts of proclaimed offenders.

The IGP mentioned in the report that over 23,257 accused were declared proclaimed offenders by Larkana district courts, 6,102 by Karachi’s District East courts, 4,252 by District South courts, 1,908 by District West courts, 6,282 by District Hyderabad, 536 by District Mirpurkhas, 2,126 by District Benaziarabad, 4,987 by District Sukkur and 608 by the Sindh CTD.

He mentioned that five persons, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain, Adeel, Khalil Ahmed, Rashid Iqbal and Adnan Chiwara were declared proclaimed offenders by different courts of the province and they were residing in London, Saudia Arabia, Germany and Dubai.

The court had directed the home department to make copies of such details and send them to the ministry of interior, NADRA and SBP, and so far these names had been identified from the details of their passports, national identity cards had been cancelled and their bank accounts blocked.

The court was informed that bank accounts of Hammad Siddiqui, proclaimed offender in the Baldia factory fire case, and two other proclaimed offenders -- Syed Taqi Haider Shah and Khurrum Nisar -- have been blocked/frozen, while the UAE government has been asked to provide information with regard to travel history of Hammad Siddiqui, and the reply is awaited.

Regarding fire safety arrangements in the factory, the labour secretary filed a compliance report submitting that 1,530 factories had been visited and 623 certified by officers with regard to their safety measures.

The court directed the labour department secretary to file a comprehensive report with regard to the working of factories in the residential areas of the city and what steps had been taken against them.

It had earlier directed the secretaries of labour and law to sit together and ensure that SOPs of health, safety and adequate firefighting equipment in respect of each factory in Karachi are finalized and followed. It directed the law officer to place on record as to how many of the factories are certified in Karachi in terms of court directives that all the factories have to be inspected and verifies. The court directed the all concerned officials to submit their compliance reports by November 24.